Elite

How to spell elite

5 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce elite

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does elite mean?

1. nounA small group regarded as the most powerful, wealthy, talented or privileged within a larger group.
2. adjectiveBelonging to or characteristic of the most skilled, powerful or privileged members of a group.

Elite in a sentence

• noun

  The political elite gathered behind closed doors to set the budget.

• adjective

  Only elite athletes qualify for the national programme.

• noun

  A tiny financial elite controls most of the country's wealth.

• adjective

  The firm recruits from a handful of elite universities.

Where does elite come from?

Language of origin: French

This word came into English from French élite, which meant a 'selection' or the 'choice part' of something. The French form descended from Old French eslite, the past participle of eslire 'to choose', and that verb traces back to the Latin eligere, meaning 'to pick out' or 'to select', built from ex 'out' and legere 'to gather, read or choose'. English adopted it around the late 1700s and early 1800s to describe the chosen or best part of a group, especially the most powerful or most skilled people. The very same legere root gives us 'elect', 'eligible' and 'select', all carrying that idea of careful choosing. Because the modern spelling dropped the French accent and simply doubles nothing, the trap is resisting the urge to write a second 'e' as in 'eleet'.

How the word is built

• e- (out, from Latin ex)
• lit (chosen, from legere 'to choose')
• -e (French noun ending)